I whipped together this amazing smoothie the other day and managed to keep from downing it long enough to snap a few photos for this post .

So my latest obsession is coffee flavoured smoothies. Even though I don’t drink a lot of coffee, I have always loved coffee flavoured things. I use organic instant coffee grounds in my smoothie because I find it way easier than making coffee, letting it cool, and then adding it to my smoothie. The grounds blend up instantly, so don’t worry about getting gritty bits in your smoothie.

This smoothie, with its combo of coffee, cacao, and maca, is a serious energy booster, so I would recommend it for the mornings rather than later in the day. I always drink decaffeinated coffee, but the caffeine in the cacao still keeps me up if I have it too late in the day.

I use cacao in a lot of the recipes, and so you may be wondering what it is. Cacao is basically the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa. So if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to use cocoa, just know that you won’t be getting the health benefits of the raw version. Raw cacao is considered a superfood and is full of antioxidants and magnesium.

Maca is another superfood that I use regularly. It doesn’t really affect the flavour of the drink, but it is full of vitamins and minerals, increases energy, balances hormones, is said to improve sexual function, and much more.

Blend it up and enjoy your delicious energy boost! You can also use half the amount of liquid and serve this as a smoothie bowl! I like serving my smoothie bowls in these adorable coconut bowls!

To make it even more summery and refreshing, add some ice cubes! We’re not there yet weather-wise in Halifax, but I am praying for warmer weather soon! I’m leaving for New York in less than a week, and I can’t wait for their warmer weather.

First off, thank you all so much for the great response we received to Part 1 of our Natural Beauty Series! Today’s post is a perfect compliment to last week’s because exfoliation and moisturizing of hand in hand for creating soft, hydrated skin.

In Part 2, we’re showing you how to exfoliate your skin naturally. We’ve got a delicious smoothie full of antioxidants to great glowing skin from the inside out, and a super simple and effective sugar and honey exfoliating recipe! Get ready to glow

Note: Papaya peels are amazing skin exfoliants as well! After you’ve scooped out the fruit, rub the inside of the peel over your skin. Leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing off. Follow up with your favourite moisturizer or oil!

Sugar and Honey Scrub

You will need….

1/2 cup of sugar (coconut sugar, sugar cane or brown sugar)

1/2 cup of coconut oil (softened but not liquid)

2 tablespoons of raw honey

4-6 aloe vera leafs (optional)

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix together. It’s easier to mix if your coconut oil is at room temperature instead of being liquid or too hard to blend.

One great thing about this scrub is that it exfoliates and moisturizes at the same time. No need to moisturize when you get out of the shower!

Store in a clean covered container and keep in dark space. Use within 2-3 weeks. *Note, don’t store the scrub inside of the shower. It gets too hot and the mixture will become liquid and hard to work with.

We’ve got Part 3 of the series coming up next Wednesday, so make sure you check back for more Natural Beauty goodness